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Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore has called for sprint races to be held at every Formula 1 round, doubling the current calendar to 24 main events and 24 sprints. Speaking on The Race podcast, the Italian argued that Friday practice sessions offer nothing to spectators and that a second competitive running each weekend would deliver more value. The proposal sets up a direct clash with drivers like Max Verstappen, who has repeatedly criticised the sprint format as detrimental to racing and team operations.
Six sprint weekends are scheduled for 2025, a number that has fluctuated since the format was introduced in 2021. While Liberty Media and the FIA point to younger audiences and broadcast metrics as justification for expansion, driver opinion remains divided. Verstappen in particular has been vocal in his opposition, calling sprints an unnecessary distraction that compromises setup work and adds strain to already stretched calendars.
Briatore's entertainment pitch
Briatore framed his argument around fan experience. "We need to adjust the races a bit," he said. "I think we should have sprint races at every event, because we need to give more to the visitor. We do nothing for the visitors, because Friday morning is just far too technical." He described the current rhythm of practice sessions as offering little spectacle, with cars completing two flying laps before returning to the garage while spectators drift away.
The 74-year-old, who returned to Formula 1 in an executive capacity at Alpine last year, added that Saturday mornings after qualifying feel equally flat. "After Saturday, in the morning, once you've had qualifying, it's done. Finito. Then you still have the race." For Briatore, sprint races solve that problem by guaranteeing two competitive sessions per weekend, each with a standing start and championship points at stake.
Drivers versus promoters
Briatore's vision puts him squarely at odds with the paddock's most successful current driver. Verstappen has made clear on multiple occasions that he sees sprints as artificial, reducing the importance of Sunday's grand prix and limiting teams' ability to develop car setup across a traditional three-practice structure. The Dutchman has argued that more racing does not automatically mean better racing, particularly when teams arrive at a sprint weekend with less data and a compressed schedule.
The format has evolved since its debut at Silverstone in 2021. Sprint qualifying was renamed to simply 'sprint', points were redistributed, and parc fermé rules adjusted. Yet the fundamental tension remains. Teams value Friday running for setup exploration and tyre evaluation. Promoters and broadcasters value additional competitive sessions that can be packaged and sold. Briatore's position reflects the commercial priorities that have shaped Formula 1's expansion under Liberty Media, prioritising content volume and audience engagement metrics over purist racing concerns.
The 48-race calendar
Briatore's proposal would effectively create a 48-event competitive calendar, with each of the 24 scheduled rounds hosting both a sprint and a grand prix. "With the sprints you at least have two races in a weekend," he said. "You have two starts, and the drivers are racing for something. They're not just driving for the engineers. If it were up to me, we'd have those sprint races. Then we'd have 24 races and 24 sprints."
Whether Formula 1 adopts such a model will depend on negotiations between the FIA, Formula One Management, and the teams. The current Concorde Agreement runs through 2025, with discussions around the next commercial cycle likely to revisit sprint frequency, revenue distribution, and cost cap implications. Briatore's intervention signals that at least one team principal sees expansion as inevitable, regardless of driver sentiment. For now, the six-sprint calendar remains in place, but the broader debate over what Formula 1 should prioritise continues to simmer.
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